Category Archives: Editorial

The precautionary measures announced by the Government of Manipur in wake of the threat posed by super cyclone Mahasen looks rather cosmetic. Announcing a school holiday as a means of damage control is not going to help in case the … Continue reading →

The term ‘banana republic’ first made its entry into the English vocabulary when the American writer O. Henry used it to describe the fictional “Republic of Anchuria” in the book Cabbages and Kings , a collection of thematically related short … Continue reading →

The call by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the U.N. food agency to fight off the demands of food production on one hand and growing hunger by including edible insects like grasshoppers, ants and other members of the insect world … Continue reading →

In a growing urban landscape, the news of evictions as described by state actors and the plight of people living in the contested areas is often seen as a clear-cut case of black and white. The latest case of ‘encroachers … Continue reading →

Yesterday was Mother’s day. One way of looking at such an observation is to scoff at the idea of marking out one single day to highlight the role of such an integral person as a mother in one’s life. The … Continue reading →

Leader Writer: Shobaraj Yumlembam With unemployment being one of the largest issues being faced in the state, less fortunate women like women vendors willingly or unwillingly have to avoid sitting idle and come out of their homes, to earn daily … Continue reading →

In media circles everywhere and more so in settings of conflict of every kind, there is often a pertinent question that keeps getting asked often enough but one that is increasingly difficult to answer: is the media ‘free’? By ‘conflict’ … Continue reading →

For the community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, the month of May is quite significant. First on the calendar is the International AIDS Orphan day that was first observed in 2002 highlighting the cause of children left … Continue reading →

The monsoons are yet to spark off its total fury in the state. But if the scenes on the roads and bye lanes of Imphal are any indication, there is every possibility that the citizens of the town are in … Continue reading →

Drug trafficking is today being accepted as a phenomenon of a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances, which are subject to drug prohibition laws. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in … Continue reading →

Manipur is often described as a powerhouse of sports in the country. In a world of clichés and banal word play, the description actually fits the small state which has given various players in certain sports disciplines. Given the size … Continue reading →

I am delighted to see IFP complete 17 years of publication, having lived through bad times and good times, as all living institution would and should. As a newspaper run by professional journalists with little or no special business skill … Continue reading →

The announcement of international flights operating from Imphal is a bit of news that leaves one ambivalent. The present condition of the airport is nothing to write home about as evident from the limited number of rest rooms that are … Continue reading →

The visit of Ms. Rashida Manjoo, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (or UNSRVAW for short) to the state of Manipur marks a historic occasion for earlier, two other Special Rapporteurs had been denied … Continue reading →

In Manipur today, it has become so commonplace for varied civil society groups to pitch their stands on an array of issues that there are occasions when the few sane voices gets lost in the din of noise and rhetoric. … Continue reading →

Leader Writer: Shobaraj Yumlembam Many beneficial things are said about dance. Some of them worth mentioning are: dance is a skill that will stay with someone forever, is a key to good health, keeps one sharp and focussed, is a … Continue reading →

Crimes and various forms of violence against women and children in the state has sadly become a routine spectacle that have ended up becoming a vicious cycle of street agitations, joint action committees better known as JACs being formed, a … Continue reading →

The victory of the Allied forces over the Japanese at Imphal and Kohima in 1944 being voted as ‘Britain’s Greatest Battle’ reported in the UK based The Telegraph newspaper is a prime example of most of us not recognizing the … Continue reading →

aSome experiences of the PPP model in the health care sector gives credence to these misgivings. An editorial in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics points out the case of the Delhi Government and Apollo Hospital Group partnership under the … Continue reading →

Leader Writer: Wangkheimayum Bhupendra Singh A society and its people need inspiration to grow and cultivate a sense of oneness. The ability to draw inspiration from one another without any egotism and hesitation would draw the persons involved closer and … Continue reading →

Resolution 1325-adopted in October 2000 by the United Nations Security Council states that it is important to ensure that women`s needs, and therefore their views are being taken into account in planning and execution of all aspects of conflict prevention, … Continue reading →

Every time there is a crime in the state that gets the public mood to up their ante, the shout ends at “Capital punishment for ” so and so. The mood and the call was the same in the streets … Continue reading →

Everyone in this universe wants to be happy. The pursuit of this elusive state of mind and wellbeing has been the subject of countless studies, books and films. From the Dalai Lama who in his book ‘The art of happiness’ … Continue reading →

There is no two ways about it: crimes are on the rise in the state. And while it is common for more crimes targeted at women and children taking place in Manipur today, the general overview of the crime scene … Continue reading →

Leader Writer: Vedajit Yumnam While the first rainfall of the year was a welcome respite from the hot weather; it has nonetheless brought with it fears of vector borne diseases which are quite prevalent during the rainy days. Rain waters … Continue reading →

There is a strange confusion in Manipur over the purview of morality vis a vis the context of the political, social and cultural layers and situation in the state. The growing incidence of mob justice that is slowly beginning to … Continue reading →

Leader Writer: Paojel Chaoba It is a sad working hazard to carry stories of atrocities committed against children and women in the papers, yet the media has a purpose of disseminating events and facts to the public as news in … Continue reading →

Four months to the day (January 4) when the Supreme Court decided to appoint a 3 member Commission to hold an inquiry into the alleged fake encounter killings of 7 people in Manipur, yet another step for the families of … Continue reading →